Govt secures sh375bn to develop towns

By Pascal Kwesiga

The Government is to carry out a sh375b infrastructural development programme in 14 municipalities countrywide.

The urban development state minister, Rosemary Najjemba, said this while addressing technocrats and leaders from various municipalities and town councils at a meeting organised by the urban development ministry and Cities Alliance in Kampala recently.

The money for the programme has been secured from the Public Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility. The Government had already engaged a consultancy firm to develop the engineering designs for the project.

The municipalities to benefit are Arua, Entebbe, Fort Portal, Gulu, Hoima, Jinja, Kabale, Lira, Masaka, Mbale, Mbarara, Moroto, Soroti and Tororo.

Najjemba urged the technocrats to give maximum co-operation to the consultant complete the work in time so that the project can take off.

She said after a successful implementation of the project, the Government would embark on the development of regional cities across the country so as to decongest Kampala.

She revealed that her ministry is developing a national urban policy to provide a framework for the orderly development and effective management of urban growth.

The commissioner for urban development, Samuel Malaba, revealed that all developments in the country, including those in rural areas would soon be subjected to physical planning regulations.

He added that this was in line with the national physical planning Act, 2010.